Wine

For those in the food or wine business on Maui, Lahaina Grill is a meeting place, of sorts. Well-researched tourists who make the jaunt to this historic whaling town may find themselves enjoying one of the best meals of their trip.

If any of you dear readers haven't been to the west side of Maui in a while, things are a-changin' in them parts of the chain. First off, the number of townhomes, condos and developments on the mauka side of the highway is staggering. Which obviously isn't going to help the insufferable traffic problems West Maui is already experiencing.

June is a happening month on Maui, without a doubt. Still coming down from the high that was the most successful Maui Film Festival to date, the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival kicks off at the tail end of this week.

Hawaii Regional Cuisine co-founder Mark Ellman hangs with A-listers and rock stars like Alice Cooper and Clint Eastwood. He launched a small empire of food eateries with Maui Tacos, which has outlets from Kihei to Windward Oahu, and San Francisco to 5th Avenue, N.Y.C.

While the 7th Annual Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce's "Chopsticks & Wine" event isn't until October 15, we felt an early start might allow readers a chance to attain tickets before its inevitable sell out. Held at the Neal S. Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, on a Wednesday evening, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the event routinely fills all 1,200 seats weeks before.